Jim SchwartzINDIANAPOLIS -- Yes, the Detroit Lions would certainly entertain any
discussions about trading down from their No. 2 pick in the draft but,
despite the buzz, nothing of substance is going on now.

During the
first day of the NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium, there was a
lot of talk about teams at of the top of the draft board trading down,
but Lions coach Jim Schwartz was quick remind everyone there still are
two months left before the draft.

"Any rumor like that is way
premature," Schwartz said. "It's one thing philosophically to say
you're open to it but before you even go through draft physicals and
workouts most of those moves are made with a specific person in mind.
And nobody's evaluations are 100 percent done right now. So it's just
speculation.

"But I think everybody's open to it philosophically."

To
Schwartz, the most important thing about trading -- whether it's up or
down -- is making sure that the right players will be available. And
that's the reason Schwartz doesn't have much use for the trade value
chart that many teams use. The chart assigns points for each position
in the draft.

"The whole thing with draft charts ... 'You get this
much value' and things like that. It doesn't do you a whole lot of good
if you can't parlay those picks into players that fit your scheme and
players that you like -- regardless of the value you get in terms of
points. That doesn't do a whole lot of good," Schwartz said. "Not every
team in the league uses that chart."

Even more important than draft
position is finding the right athlete from the pool of available
players at that spot. For instance, the Lions took safety Louis Delmas
at the top of the second round last year but he would have been an
excellent pick almost anywhere in the draft.

"Whether you keep the
second (overall) pick or you trade down, it doesn't change what you
have to do and that's make good decisions in the draft," Schwartz said.
"You can find good players. There aren't many players in the draft
last year that we'd trade Louis Delmas for and he was the top pick of
the second round.

"There are blue-chip players available in a lot of
different spots in the draft. We drafted a starting linebacker in the
middle of the third (round) last year, DeAndre Levy. Whether you trade
down and get more picks or you move up, it's more about identifying the
players and getting players to fit what you do rather than getting more
picks or things like that. More picks aren't useful if you don't use
them wisely."

As it stands now, the Lions are likely to get either
Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma defensive tackle
Gerald McCoy with the second overall pick. The Lions might get their
choice of the two because there's a growing sentiment that the Rams
could select Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall
choice.

If the Rams draft Bradford, it reduces the odds of Detroit
trading down. With so many quality defensive linemen available in the
first 10 to 15 picks, it seems unlikely a team would give up additional
draft choices to move up.

If the Rams draft Suh or McCoy, there are
several quarterback-needy teams, including the Washington Redskins at
No. 4, that might consider trading up.